OPW pays multimillion euro bill for garda mobile calls

GARDAÍ have made millions of euro worth of calls on phones supplied by O2, leaving the OPW to pick up the tab.

Under a deal signed between the Office of Public Works (OPW), the Department of Justice, the gardaí and O2 in 1988, free phones were given to gardaí in return for permission to put mobile phone masts on garda stations.

However, despite a widespread perception among gardaí that the phones are free, the OPW has to subtract the cost of all garda calls from the rental income it receives from O2 for masts. However, the value of calls made has escalated far beyond what the OPW anticipated and is currently running at €750,000 annually.

Although the OPW could not last night provide a figure for the cost of garda calls since 1998, the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was told yesterday that gardaí had made calls worth €750,000 last year, a figure likely to be at least equalled this year.Addressing the Committee yesterday, OPW chairman Sean Benton said the Department of Justice and the gardaí had drawn up the contract. “We were simply asked to implement it.”

Although a spokeswoman for the Department of Defence conceded the department was a party to the contract, she insisted any specifics were a matter for the gardaí and the OPW. Written questions submitted to garda authorities yesterday went unanswered.

Outlining the deal to the PAC, OPW commissioner David Byers said he had expected that only around 100 phones would be given to gardaí. That figure has spiralled to at least 1,000, meaning one-in-12 gardaí have their mobile phone costs paid by the OPW.

The OPW is in the process of drawing up a new deal to replace the current contract which will eliminate phone use and involve all mobile phone operators.

However, PAC chairman Michael Noonan said he would pursue the matter until he was satisfied there was full accountability and transparency.

“By offsetting it against the rental income from the masts it’s not transparent and clearly not the way modern Government should be run.

“I wouldn’t be critical of the gardaí having phones or gardaí using them. What I’m critical of is the lack of transparency,” he said.

If the matter is not resolved to his satisfaction, Mr Noonan said he would bring forward the Department of Justice vote to be scrutinised before the PAC in January.

Garda sources last night said only ranks above that of inspector would be issued with phones. However the poor state of garda communications systems means many rank and file gardaí are forced to use their own mobiles at their own cost.